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Dec 4, 2008 9:46 pm US/Central
Gun Owners Fear Obama Presidency
HAMMOND, Ind. (CBS) ―
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Gun owners say they their rights will be curtailed under a Barack Obama presidency.
CBS
Gun sales jumped 50 percent in the suburbs after Barack Obama was elected president. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin accused the gun industry of whipping up "hysteria" about Democratic plans for new gun laws.
In a "Truth In Politics" follow-up, CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery talked to gun buyers.
Even at mid-afternoon, a steady stream of customers came to the gun department. Cabela's in Hammond, Ind. is a scrupulously law-abiding weapons dealer.
Ken Roper was one of many new gun buyers today, taking home a nine millimeter semi-automatic handgun with a magazine that holds 19 bullets. Like most of those who talked to us, he said he's afraid that Democrats who won the White House and huge majorities on Capitol Hill plan to impose new gun controls.
"I believe very soon here that our right is gonna be infringed on," Ken Roper of Valparaiso, Ind. said. "I recently joined the NRA as well to strengthen our position and our right."
"That's always been the Democrats', you know, pet peeve," Billy Sackett of Alton, Ill. said. "They always, you know, wanna take weapons away."
On the other side of the debate, the No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate said Thursday those fears are just unfounded. Sen. Durbin said he's disturbed by the hike in gun sales.
"They're making record sales by keeping people afraid," Durbin said. "Those who are peddling some hysteria here that a new Obama administration is going to dramatically change the Second Amendment, it's not true."
Indeed, some advocates of gun control are upset with President-elect Obama. He promised only to renew a federal ban on military-style assault weapons. A surprising number of gun buyers, though, told us they think Obama's hiding his real agenda.
"No, I don't believe him," George Kreykes said. "I believe that they're gonna go after every weapon -- pistols, shotguns."
Cabela's requires Illinoisans who purchase guns at its Hammond store to comply with Illinois' tougher gun laws. The Illinois state police report conducting more than 24,000 background checks on Illinois gun buyers last month -- an increase of more than 38 percent compared to last year.
Sen. Durbin told us he wants Congress to strengthen the system of background checks so that fewer criminals get guns. He also wants to tighten rules on the small number of gun dealers whose weapons end up being used to commit crimes.
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